For the purpose of increasing coverage of the communication networks, various means of transmission are available (electric, coaxial and telephone cable or wire) connected among themselves to achieve a common communication network.
With this purpose, systems known until now use different nodes for each means and switch among them.
In FIG. 1, node 1 can communicate with node 2 by using the proper OFDM parameter configuration for the means of transmission. The installation can be expanded to two or more networks (domains) that operate with different means. For nodes connected to different means to be able to communicate data, it is necessary to have equipment (Gateway) that has two nodes connected to each of the means and a bridge to exchange data among them. In FIG. 2, if node 1 wants to send a message to node 6, node 1 must send the message to node 3 through the coaxial means while using the transmission parameters for the coaxial means. Node 3 will pass the message on through the bridge to node 4 which will transmit the message using the transmission parameters for the PLC means (electric power system) to node 6. The problem with this solution is that the complexity increases in direct relation to the number of interconnected means. If there are N means, the complexity and cost of the system practically increases N times.
As can be observed, each means operates independently at the access or port level to the means with its own MAP message (access-to-means plan) that describes accesses or ports to the channel during an access cycle to the means (MAC cycle). Data can be transmitted simultaneously over the two means. To communicate, each node uses parameters relevant to its means of transmission. If data is to be sent to a node which is located in another means, the data must first be sent to the node that interconnects the means. An example of these systems is described in patent application US2009302969 A1.
Other solutions (also described in patent application US2009302969 A1) use passive bridges that physically connect the various means. Though the cost of this solution can be less, the method of interconnecting the means among themselves in a passive manner causes attenuation among nodes to increase by having the various means of transmission in parallel, penalizing the connections which by themselves already had considerable attenuation. Further, the noisiest means would be limiting the dynamic margin of the cleanest means by increasing their noise level or base.
Another limitation is that the PSD (Power Spectral Density) cannot be adjusted for each of the means and that the power that passes from one to the other depends on factors that are beyond our control. This would require injecting the minimum power permitted in the most restrictive means, whereby one would penalize the means in which more power could be injected.